MOSCOW, April 15 (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minster Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday he hoped that the authorities in the Ukrainian capital have "enough brains" to prevent a further escalation of the conflict in the east of the country.

"Ukraine is on the brink of civil war and it is scary," he told a news conference after a meeting with his counterparts from Belarus and Kazakhstan. (Reporting by Alissa De Carbonnel; Writing by Christian Lowe)